This afternoon, the Premier will be announcing a $17.5 billion rapid transit plan for the GTA. This is NEW money for transit ($11.5billion from the province and $6 billion from the feds). The federal component has not been confirmed as of yet; however, the province is committing their portion regardless. There is no expectation for municipal contribution towards this capital plan. It is hoped that the municipalities will be able to pay for the operating costs.

This plan incorporates 52 transit projects in the GTA (about 1/3 were GO Transit projects). It looks at Official Plans, GTSB's former plan, Growth Plan, Greenbelt legislation, etc. The federal government's FLOW projects are already included but any new projects they are thinking about are not.

The GTTA is charged with finalizing the details and developing an implementation strategy. They are going to sign an MOU with Infrastructure Ontario to this end. The complete build out is 2020 but the province expects around 70% of the build to be completed by 2012.

They are also in discussions with MOE to put a 6 month cap on all EAs for these specific projects (HUGE deal!)

That amount of funding would really do a lot too for transit in the GTA. As you mentioned it would allow for the build out of all the projects allready on the books which too some extent is still not quite enough, but at least it be a big improvment.

TORONTO â€” Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty had pledged $17.5-billion for rapid transit projects across greater Toronto and Hamilton on Friday in a massive pre-election move that provides a massive boost to the TTC's ambitious light-rail network plans and calls for the extension of the Yonge subway line.

The announcement will see the province partly fund 52 rapid-transit projects in the next 12 years.

Unlike other recent announcements, the province is committing to fund two-thirds of the costs, up from its usual one-third share of recent years.

It is calling on the federal government to fund the remaining third of the cost, eliminating the capital burden for cash-strapped municipalities.

The change in this financing formula is a major shift, signifying something akin to a return to the model brought in by premier Bill Davis in the 1970s, which saw the province fund 75 per cent of the capital costs of rapid transit.

Overall, 902 kilometres of new or improved rapid-transit routes will be built by 2020, the province says, creating 175,000 jobs during their construction, which is supposed to start in 2008.

The projects include:

- extending the TTC's Yonge subway line up to Highway 7

- electrifying the GO Lakeshore lines, which will make a trip from Hamilton 15 minutes faster and reduce emissions

- boost capacity on other GO Train lines

- expand bus service across Highway 407

- build two rapid-transit lines across Hamilton

- commit funds to the TTC's $6-billion Transit City plan, which calls for seven new light-rail routes crisscrossing Toronto.

The province had already committed to a $2-billion project to extend the TTC's Spadina subway line north to Vaughan.

The government says the projects will be financed over 50 years, and that road tolls â€“ currently a hot topic among transportation experts â€“ will â€œnot be necessaryâ€.

Keep in mind this isn't just for Toronto.... but another subway extension, this one up Yonge is great. However, I would have liked to see a 5th subway corridor added to our system: Eglinton.

With Yonge and University/Spadina going north/south and Bloor, Eglinton and Sheppard going East/West, we'd have a truly inclusive rapid system that would be complimented by a grid of LRT's as per the Transit City Plan.

GO Lakeshore West rail line capacity expansion by adding a third track from Port Credit to Oakville
GO Lakeshore West rail line capacity expansion by adding a third track from Burlington to Hamilton
GO Lakeshore East rail line capacity expansion by adding a third track from Union Station to Scarborough
GO Lakeshore East rail line extension from Oshawa to Bowmanville
GO Lakeshore rail line electrification (SuperGO)
GO Milton rail line capacity expansion from Union Station to Milton
GO Georgetown rail line capacity expansion from Union Station to Georgetown
GO Bradford rail line capacity expansion from Union Station to Bradford
GO Bradford rail line extension and capacity expansion from Bradford to Barrie
GO Richmond Hill rail line capacity expansion from Union Station to Richmond Hill
GO Richmond Hill rail line extension to Aurora Road
GO Stouffville rail line capacity expansion from Union Station to Stouffville and extension of the line to Uxbridge
New GO Crosstown rail line between Weston Road and the Don Valley
New GO Crosstown rail line between the Don Valley and Agincourt
New GO rail line from Union Station to Bolton
New GO rail line on the Havelock line from Agincourt to Pickering
New GO rail line on the Seaton line from Agincourt to Brock Road in Pickering
GO Bus Rapid Transit(BRT)

GO Bus Rapid Transit along Highway 403 from Oakville GO rail station to Mississauga
Mississauga Transitway west of Mississauga City Centre to Winston Churchill Boulevard
Mississauga Transitway east of Mississauga City Centre to Renforth Drive
GO Bus Rapid Transit northwest Toronto link from Renforth Drive to York University
GO Bus Rapid Transit on Markham Road from Highway 407 in Markham to Highway 401
GO Bus Rapid Transit on Highway 401 from Markham Road in Scarborough to Pickering GO rail station
GO Bus Rapid Transit connector on Highway 427 from Renforth Drive to Highway 407
GO Bus Rapid Transit along Highway 407 from York University to Langstaff (Yonge Street) and on to Markham Road
GO Bus Rapid Transit along Highway 407 from Burlington to Highway 401
GO Bus Rapid Transit along Highway 407 from Highway 401 to Highway 427
GO Bus Rapid Transit along Highway 407 from Highway 427 to York University
Subway and Other Rapid Transit

The Government of Ontario also announced today it will fund up to two-thirds of the project costs for Kitchener-Waterloo's rapid transit plan. The government will work with the region to request the balance of funding from the federal government.

The GTA is one of the fastest growing regions in North America, increasing its population by approximately 100,000 people â€” and 50,000 cars â€” every year.

The GTA is the fourth-most congested area on the continent, trailing only Los Angeles, the San Francisco Bay Area and Chicago.

Traffic congestion doesnâ€™t just stay on our roads â€” it affects jobs and the economy. People are late for work. Trucks delivering the goods that keep Ontarioâ€™s economy strong donâ€™t arrive at their destinations on time.

As businesses increase their speed and efficiency and develop faster production cycles, delivering goods â€œjust in timeâ€ has become more critical than ever â€” but battling traffic results in lost time and productivity. Congestion costs the GTA $2.2 billion each year.

The personal cost is rising. Ontarians have been patient, but gridlock and packed transit vehicles can put a real stress on commuters. Commuting in the GTA currently takes 32 per cent longer than it would in free-flowing conditions. By 2031, that will rise to 40 per cent.

The environmental cost of congestion is also unsustainable. GTA residents made approximately 10 million car trips per day in 2004 and were responsible for approximately 14 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

If we continue growing the same way, making the same transportation choices, and not doing anything to relieve gridlock, congestion will get much worse. The time needed to travel by car from Toronto to Hamilton during peak hours, for example, will nearly double â€” from an hour-and-a-half in 2000 to about three hours in 2021.

Commuters choose their car over using public transit because options are either limited or inconvenient. Effective and expanded public transit will:

Reduce traffic congestion and make it easier and faster to get people and goods where they need to go
Cut smog and provide cleaner air to breathe
Help Ontario reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Support sustainable urban development that leads to stronger communities and a higher quality of life.
This will make Ontario more competitive, spur jobs and growth and help accommodate the expected population growth in the GTA.

The Plan â€” MoveOntario 2020

The McGuinty government has made record investments in public transit since taking office. Nearly $4.9 billion has been invested since 2003 in public transit around the province. However, further investments are needed.

MoveOntario 2020 is a bold vision to improve the quality of life in the GTA. It will be the largest transit investment in Canadian history. The plan includes 52 rapid transit projects.

It will create more than 175,000 jobs during construction. A modern rapid transit system that moves people and goods quickly and efficiently will attract thousands more jobs in the future.

The plan calls for 66 per cent of the projects to be completed by 2015. By 2020, the goal is to have 95 per cent of the projects complete.

MoveOntario 2020 includes 902 kilometres of new or improved rapid transit that will move people efficiently around the region. It will result in 800 million new transit trips per year, taking 300 million car trips off GTA roads. This will cut smog and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 10 megatonnes by 2020.

The Partners

The Greater Toronto Transportation Authority (GTTA) will oversee the entire project. The GTTA will finalize the plan and report back to the Province in early 2008 on their long-term plan for transportation in the GTA. It will include MoveOntario 2020 as well as other key transportation initiatives.

The provincial government will pay 65 per cent of the cost â€” $11.5 billion â€” out of existing provincial revenue streams. Costs will only begin once construction has been completed, similar to a homeownerâ€™s mortgage. This means the cost will be spread over 50 years.

Estimated Cost to Provincial Treasury

The federal government will be asked to pay a minimum of 35 per cent of the costs of construction over the life of the projects, for a total of $6 billion. This is consistent with other infrastructure projects of national economic and environmental importance such as the Pacific Gateway and the Manitoba Floodway.